Make My Whole World Just Explode
by arutan
Summary: She wasn't popular, like Lucy- smart, like Levy- or athletic, like Erza. She was just the useless girl who everyone belittled and bullied. For a while, Juvia Loxar was okay with it- until she was humiliated in front of the whole school by Gray Fullbuster, and decided she would change. Now that she's everyone's dream, including Gray's, she can only wonder- was it worth it? Gruvia.


Warnings: Bullying, cliques, references to Hana Yori Dango.. Mean insults and such.

Pairings: Gruvia, Lyuvia, (Platonic Gajeel x Juvia) GaLe, NaLi, NaLu, LoLu, Jerza

* * *

No, no, no.

This was not happening.

It was seven-forty-eight in the morning, and this was _not _happening.

"Juvia-chan!" Lucy's concerned voice came, as arms began to pull the bluenette up from her position on the floor, "are you all right?"

Laughter echoed out all through the halls as the students of Fairy Academy wheezed with cruel amusement at the mess of a student in front of them. Juvia Loxar- a seventeen year old junior- was dripping wet, drenched in dirty water that had come from a bucket tipped over the top of the door to the student lounge. Her pristine white shirt had been shaded an ugly brown, her blazer completely dripping, and her skirt speckled with beige over navy blue. Her normally tight curls of blue ringlets had been ruined, the long locks completely soaked. She was looking down, droplets falling from her pale-white skin. The young woman didn't reply to her blonde friend as she was helped up, letting her hair cover her face.

"J-Juvia.. Juvia is so ashamed," she choked out, sobbing.

"How dare you all do such a cruel thing!" Another bluenette snapped at the people who dared to laugh. Levy McGarden, who still held her books freshly borrowed from the library, hardly looked like a threat, considering she was so small. However, the redness around her ears showed just how _mad _she really was. "_You _should be the ones ashamed of yourselves, you jerks!"

"Levy," a redheaded young woman said in warning, her brown eyes glistening in anger, "don't bother. I'll take care of them later. Let's just help Juvia to the bathroom," she advised, and took up the other shoulder of the doused bluenette, not caring about her clothes getting dirty.

".. Right," the small girl replied, her brows furrowed. She shot the crowd one last glare before she left with Lucy and Erza, to accompany Juvia to the bathroom.

".. W-What did Juvia do wrong?" The bluenette asked, tears running down her pale, pale face. "Why do they hate Juvia?"

"It's not your fault, and you didn't do anything wrong," Lucy quickly reassured her friend. They turned the corner, and Levy opened the door to the bathroom, as they walked in, "they're just jerks, who pick on anyone who seems different."

"Juvia doesn't want to be different."

It had been this way ever since the start of the school year, when Juvia Loxar transferred to Fairy Academy from Phantom Institute, the Academy's rival school. She had been at her old school for only a year since moving to Fiore, Japan, from Russia, and transferred to the Academy when Phantom closed down. Arriving there, she had made friends with Lucy Heartfilia, a very friendly, kind, and beautiful blonde girl in her classes, who had showed her around and introduced her to her friends- Erza Scarlet, a popular and cool athlete, who was very humble and sweet, and Levy McGarden, a small bookworm who loved to read, and was always laughing and making people smile. They had easily infiltrated their way into Juvia's heart, which had been closed for so long before. The four of them were fast friends and spent all of their time together. For once, Juvia was happy. Sure, she had her old friend- Gajeel, and a very few others from Phantom, but there was only so much they could really do together here. Being with girls her age, talking to them, made her feel normal for once. She was happy.

Well, happy as she could have been. Despite being very close with the three most popular girls in the grade, Juvia herself was not well-liked. Boys remarked she was ugly and creepy, calling her pale skin lifeless, mocking her very large dark eyes and her tightly curled hair. Girls made rude remarks and played pranks on her- telling her it was a 'Japanese custom' to speak in third person, referring to herself as Juvia, instead of 'I,' and tripping her in the halls so she dropped her books. Normally, she simply braved through the harassment, since she had the support of her friends. Erza would crack down on those who bullied Juvia, Levy would yell at them, and Lucy would gladly defend the bluenette. All of them, when Juvia was tearing up, would reassure her with their kind words.

_"Tobito-kun doesn't know what he's talking about! Juvia is a very pretty girl!" _Lucy would say. Oh, the blonde was so sweet and caring. She did her best at everything, and she was so pretty. She was the first to open up to Juvia. She was nothing like the limited number of girls and boys at Phantom.

_"Don't mind those jerks, Juvi! Let's go read some books at the library!" _Levy would defend her, her voice ever so sweet and optimistic. Juvia figured, if she was the gloomy rain, then Levy was the bright sun. She was always so cheerful, fun, and happy. Just being around her made Juvia feel warm.

_"If anyone bothers you, let me know. You are my precious friend," _Erza would tell her sternly. The redheaded young woman was so talented, so calm, so cool. She was so loyal, and she helped Juvia back on her feet, always telling her to never give up. Juvia admired her for her strength, more than a little.

The three of them kept Juvia upright for the most part. Whatever negativity came her way, the three girls would defend her from. Juvia convinced herself that it was best to focus on the people she cared for instead of bring herself down because of those who were mean. But even though she tried her best, things like _this- _the water prank, really hurt. Looking at herself in the mirror, she looked like a drowned rat.

The three girls frowned as they bustled around the blue-haired girl. Erza grabbed paper towels, helping the bluenette to dry her face, while Levy took off the girl's blazer to clean under the sink. Lucy ran off to grab an extra uniform while the others cleaned in silence, Juvia still sniffling.

"Here," the blonde said, once she had returned. "We're about the same size, so this should fit you."

"Th-Thank you," Juvia said to Lucy, accepting the clean clothes. Levy locked the door, as Juvia changed out of the soiled white shirt and skirt. She dried off a bit more before she put the new clothes on. Once she had done up all her buttons, Levy unlocked the door. Erza frowned, cracking her knuckles.

"This is getting out of hand, Juvia. We need to tell someone about this harassment.. It isn't right."

The bluenette flinched, hearing Erza's dark tone. Her friend was awfully scary when she was angry. "N-No," she managed to choke out, her throat hoarse. "If Erza-san does that, Juvia will get bothered much more. They'll be angry if they get in trouble," she tried to reason.

"But we can't just let this continue! It's been months, Juvia!" Levy cried. She was serious, so she didn't bother using her nickname. Juvia flinched hearing her name, hunching her shoulders.

Lucy put an arm around her friend with a frown. "Guys, as much as I hate to admit it.. Juvia does have a point. They'll get more angry if they get in trouble, and I don't think it'll help with anything," she said regretfully. Lucy turned to her blue-haired friend. "We'll respect your wishes, Juvia.. But from now on, you have to be with all of us, all of the time. We won't leave you alone long enough for anything else to happen to you."

The bluenette nearly choked. "L-Lucy.. would do that for me?"

Lucy nodded, smiling gently. "Of course we would! We are friends, after all."

Juvia managed to nod, sniffling a little. Levy immediately reached in to wrap her arms around Juvia, and Erza went in back, to brush out the girl's wet hair. When it was only damp, Erza and Lucy helped the bluenette to pull the long locks into a bun, since she couldn't curl them.

"Are you ready to go back?" Erza asked, once they were done.

"Y-Yes," Juvia managed to reply, back.

The bell had already rung a few minutes ago, so the hallways were empty. The four girls went to their lockers, grabbed their bags, and headed off to their classes. Erza had P.E. to begin with, while Lucy had French class. Levy and Juvia had Literature. They waved at each other, wishing their friends good luck- and split for the day, until lunch.

"Sit down, sit down," Macao said, as the two blue-haired girls walked into his classroom. "Why are you two late?"

Juvia's cheeks reddened as snickers flew across the room, hiding her face while looking down. Levy answered for her. "There was an accident, and we needed to change our uniforms. Sorry, Sensei," she apologized, and bowed. Juvia shyly mimicked her.

"Hm.. Fine, fine. I don't think you're lying," he relented. "Just take a seat and try not to have it happen again. Let's begin the lesson," Macao said, and they nodded, before going to the back of the room. Levy took the outside seat at a two-seat desk, letting her friend have the window. They took out their books, and began following along with their teacher's reading during the class.

"Wow, I didn't know that Levy took pity on stray dogs," a girl in the middle of the class whispered. "Maybe she gave her a bath and some new clothes?"

"Don't you know, Levy?" The guy who had antagonized Juvia from day one, Kyousuke Tobito, snickered, "strays have diseases."

Macao seemed oblivious to the sneering going on in the room, but Juvia just ignored them. It was better not to dwell on their insults any more. Levy sensed her friend's pain, and shot the others all glares. They began to relent, not wanting to get on the bad side of the popular girl.

After that, the class seemed monotone. The insults slowly died down until it was just a normal class.

"Okay, that's all for today," Macao said, closing his large textbook. He removed his reading glasses- and sighed, seeing his students were already eagerly packing up, ready to get out of class. "Just do your assigned reading and come back next class with your notes prepared. That's all."

Levy looked over to Juvia, who had finished putting her notes away. "Juvi, let's go to Calculus now," she said, as her friend stood up.

"All right, Levy-chan," Juvia replied quietly. Everyone else was already outside, so she was safe from being tripped or having her books hit out of her hands. She followed Levy out the door- but not before bowing goodbye to Macao, who smiled at them. They walked out of the hall, were everyone else was already ahead of them. The Calculus classroom wasn't too far away, so they could take their time.

It also seemed the crowd of students had found others to focus their attention on.

_"Ah, it's Natsu! He's so cute today, as usual! What I wouldn't give to-"  
_

_"Punch his face in. Those guys think they're so hot. They're just a bunch of-"_

_"Super rich, really cute, really smart athletes! I wonder what kind of girl Jellal goes for? I heard-"_

_"Gajeel is a delinquent. He came from Phantom Institute, right? Just like the Russian girl. God, they should keep out of the Academy and-"_

_"If Gray leaves this school, I'd cry an ocean! Eep!"_

It seems that the juniors of Fairy Academy had focused on the 'Fairy Four'- the school's four richest, smartest, and most handsome pick of male students. They had walked in from P.E. Class out of the showers, their hair dripping wet, and with them a group of fans and jealous boys tagged along.

First out of the four- there was Natsu Dragneel, who had been attending the Academy since Kindergarten. He was kind of odd looking, not traditionally handsome- with spiky pink hair, onyx black eyes, and fair skin. He was rather muscled, and pretty tall, which was what girls liked. He always wore a white checkered scarf around his neck with the Fairy uniform. His personality was what made him 'cute', as the girls described him. He was very passionate, loud, and dense, the usual brainless athlete, despite his high academic grades. Girls flocked to him, but he took absolutely no notice of him.

_Yes, _Juvia thought, almost sarcastically. _How attractive, Natsu-san._

Next, there was Jellal Fernandez, a blue haired, brown eyed, mysterious transfer student from an unknown school on an unknown island in the middle of nowhere. He was classically good looking, with his sculpted features, tall height, and strong build, but he seemed rather shy, only hanging out with his friends, and leaving anyone who tried to socialize with him. Juvia didn't know too much about him, but apparently, he had a crush on Erza. Not that Juvia blamed him- her red-haired friend was very beautiful, and they were apparently childhood friends.

Third, there was Gajeel Redfox, from Phantom Institute, the 'badboy' of the group. Please. Juvia had known Gajeel longer than anyone in the school, and he was no badboy. He pretended to be a delinquent, purposefully not wearing the Fairy uniform and having his piercings, but he was softer than a teddy bear. His long, spiky black hair was gelled back, revealing his tanned face and dark red eyes. To most, he would be seen as scary, but the women at the Academy had very odd taste and weren't afraid to admit it.

And last in the Fairy Four was Gray Fullbuster. Juvia did not know much about him- she had seen him around, a passing glance, perhaps. He was good looking, she admitted, with shaggy black hair, onyx-grey eyes, a fair complexion, and a nice build and height. He was easy going and laid back from what she had seen, and seemed nice enough, but she couldn't be sure. However, when she did happen to look at him, her cheeks reddened, just a little. She couldn't help that he was handsome, despite not worshiping him like the other girls did.

"Ugh, there they go, worshiping those four again. They're not all that special," Levy said with distaste, frowning.

"Levy-san," Juvia said, looking at her, "you don't notice that all the boys worship you, Erza-san, and Lucy-san like that, too?" It was true. Levy, Lucy, and Erza were like the female parallels of the Fairy Four. If Juvia was out of the picture, they would be so much more popular..

"I don't think popularity matters at all," she replied, shaking her head. "Juvi, let's go to class."

"All right," Juvia replied, tentatively.

The two went in the opposite direction to avoid the hordes of students, and made it to class a few minutes early. Right before Bisca-sensei began taking roll, everyone else poured into their seats in the front, still gossiping about the four guys that had been in the halls. Levy snorted, and Juvia couldn't help the little giggle. Her friend had always been a free thinker, and had never cared for boy-crazy crushes or the hierarchy of high school. She wasn't judgmental, and was nice to everyone when she first met them. It was what made the tiny bookworm so refreshing to hang around with.

Bisca started class, and collected the homework. She taught a lesson on the Fundamental Theory of Calculus, and had the students work in their books for the rest of the period, leaving them with free time to spend on their own accord.

"Do you get this one, Juvi?" Levy asked her friend.

"Ah," Juvia looked over Levy's shoulder at the work she was done. "Levy-san, this one needs to be carried over twice," she mumbled shyly.

"Hm?" The bookworm checked her work, brown eyes scanning over the paper. Then, her eye slit up. "Oh, I see! Thanks, Juvi. I'm more of a literature person, so calculus isn't my thing," she said sheepishly. Juvia only smiled at her friend.

"Everything else is right, Levy-san. You're good at calculus, don't sell yourself short," she said shyly.

Levy grinned at Juvia, her cute smile full of pearly whites, and went back to her work, as did her friend. Juvia found her mind working faster than before, encouraged by Levy's presence next to her, and finished the page, and moved on. At the ten minute mark, she had finished the book work, and neatly, wrote her name down on her paper, putting it into her folder and closing her book.

When class finished, Juvia had almost dozed off. Levy had gently shaken her up with a smile.

"C'mon, Juvi! Just P.E., and then we get to eat lunch with Erza and Luce!" She exclaimed happily. Still a bit drowsy, Juvia almost tripped over her own feet getting up, and once again, followed Levy out of the room with a quick and polite bow to Bisca-sensei, who waved with a smile.

The changing rooms were on the first floor of the academy. Juvia followed Levy down the steps, the two of them making their way outside. The sun was bright as they cut across the turf to the locker rooms, opening up the female changing rooms and closing them. The humid rush of hot showers came flying at the bluenettes, making Juvia cringe a little. She cautiously made her way to her locker, careful not to slip on the puddles of water. She got to her locker and opened it carefully, taking out her gym uniform and quickly stripping down and changing.

With a frown, Juvia tried not to blush at how short the pants were. She still wasn't used to showing much skin. In Russia, where it was cold, she usually liked to wear coats and long sleeves, nothing revealing at all. In Japan, where it was warmer, she still tried to bundle up, though it made things uncomfortable. Juvia just didn't like showing skin, no matter the weather or occasion.

"Juvi, are you done changing?" Levy asked, coming from across the corner.

"Yes, Juvia is done," she replied to her friend.

With a smile, Levy took the bluenette's hand and guided her out of the locker rooms. The sun was once again bright on her pallid skin, as the two made their way to the track. Coach Alzack was already out, sitting down on the grass as he took roll of the girls who were out early.

"Good morning, Coach!" Levy greeted with a smile.

"Hello, Levy, Juvia," he said back, pleasant as usual. The two girls sat down in the grass, the fake turf scratching at their legs. Slowly, the girls began to come out from the locker rooms, gossiping and talking loudly as they made their way over. Once everyone was outside, Alzack blew his whistle, and they congregated into the middle in a large bunch.

"Three warm-up laps around the track. No walking," he said, and nodded. The girls stood up and moved off, where they began running.

"Three laps is a lot," Levy sighed, jogging lightly. Because of her tiny body mass and long legs, she had an easy time striding along the track. Juvia jogged just a bit behind her friend, not as athletically inclined as Levy. The two were in the middle of the group. "I bet that Erza finished her laps in four minutes."

"Knowing Erza-san, she did," Juvia agreed with her friend, slightly afraid as she imagined the redhead. Erza was a monster when it came to sports- obliterating anyone who dared to challenge her, whether it be frisbee, baseball, running, or even dodgeball. The last girl that Erza had beamed in the face probably had to have reconstructive surgery. Poor her.

The second lap was where Juvia started to pant, her windpipe hurting. She finished her third lap with a stumble, nearly falling at the end. Levy of course, helped her get up, and glared at whatever girl dared to giggle at Juvia's display of grace. Or lack thereof.

"Today, we're keeping it easy with a game of ultimate frisbee," Alzack said, grabbing the bag full of the flying discs. "We're splitting everyone up into two teams. Count off," he said, busy with the equipment.

"One," Maki said, at the front of the line.

"Two," Yukiko countered, in back of her.

"One," Levy said, starting again.

"Two," Juvia echoed, disappointed. Levy wasn't on her team. Oh well- it was just frisbee for forty-five minutes. She wouldn't die if she was without her friend, she'd be fine. The rest of the girls split up into teams, and Alzack put the ones on the right side of the field, and the twos on the left.

"You all know the rules, so don't break them!" Alzack called out. "Line up at the middle. Winner runs back."

Juvia tentatively followed her team to the right side, taking a stance near the edge of the lined field. From the corner of her eye, she saw Levy shoot her an encouraging smile, and shyly did the same back. Alzack blew his whistle and threw the frisbee up in the air.

"I got it!" Yukiko exclaimed, reaching up and grabbing the disc. Frozen in her spot, everyone else ran and tried to block each other from where she would throw it. Eventually, she decided on her friend, and the disc went flying towards a long brown-haired girl.

"Sakiko!" The girl yelled, and threw the frisbee. Team Two kept control of the disc while moving up towards the goal. Juvia followed along, knowing very well no one would pass to her, and nervously did her best to stay out of everyone's way. Team One tried to block Team Two, but it was virtually impossible, considering that most everyone on Team Two was much taller than their opponents.

"Over here! Pass it over here!" Sorano, the self-proclaimed captain of Team Two, cried. Juvia tried to stay behind her as the frisbee went flying- and of course, she ended up tripping over a hard clump of fake grass that sent her flying straight into the projectile of the disc.

"Juvi, are you okay?" Levy was the only one to rush to her friend.

"U-Uh, Juvia is all right," she said. A darkening bruise was forming straight on the blunette's forehead. Alzack frowned, while Sorano glared.

"Leave it to Juvia to screw things up, as usual," she sneered, tossing her hair and turning away from the scene.

"Do you want to go to the health room?" Alzack asked.

"Yes," Juvia almost immediately replied, her hands sweating. It was best to escape while she could, and flee from Sorano's wrath. The pretty white-haired girl had been one of Juvia's main tormentors, always snapping and snickering, and provoking her would just make it worse.

"I can take her," Levy volunteered. Alzack nodded, and the bookworm helped her friend up, before they began walking to the health room in the building.

"Team One, possession of the frisbee," the P.E. teacher announced, and blew his whistle.

"It's fine, just ignore Sorano," Levy said, once they were out of earshot. "She thinks she's so perfect, juts because she has a pretty face. She's just mean."

Juvia nodded, though the words were rather empty in her head. "Does Juvia's face look bad?"

"You're fine. It's a tiny bruise," Levy said. "We can ask for some ice."

The two walked near the registration offices, and then to the nurse's room. A beautiful young woman with snow white hair, wearing a petite dress, greeted them with a bright smile, gently letting Juvia sit down on a bed.

"Mirajane, Juvia got hit by a frisbee," Levy said to the nurse.

"Oh, how unfortunate. Does it hurt?" The kind woman asked, concerned. She pulled the part of Juvia's bangs out of the way to observe the small dark mark forming over the girl's pale skin. When Juvia shook her head, she went over to the freezer and opened it up. "Just to make sure it doesn't swell and leave a bump, you should ice your forehead for a little while. But, you'll be fine."

"Th-Thank you," Juvia replied with a little nod, accepting the ice pack.

"You can go back, Levy. Thank you for escorting Juvia here," the white-haired woman said.

"All right," Levy replied, shooting Juvia a look of concern. "I'll come back and bring your uniform here so you can change, and I'll meet you after P.E. is done."

"Thank you Levy-san," Juvia said, truly grateful her friend was so understanding and kind. The bookworm only smiled, bowed, and left the room, lightly jogging back to the track to go back to class. The blue-haired girl leaned back against the wall.

It was no big surprise she had managed to fail at something again, but the thought of it was still embarrassing.

The bluenette sat in silence, finding a point in the wall to stare at as she iced her forehead. Juvia switched hands when her fingers got numb from the cold, before she closed her eyes, still slightly drowsy from Calculus class. She hoped that Levy, Lucym, and Erza would be okay with eating lunch outside today. She didn't want to spend any time in the cafeteria, were there was more of a chance she'd humiliate herself again.

Spilling food on herself- tripping, falling off her chair, breaking something, spilling food on someone else- Juvia had almost done everything on the list. She was sure that sometime in the future, she would manage to do all things at once, and thoroughly shame herself and her ancestors back in Russia with her clumsiness and lack of social skills.

Her cheeks burned red just thinking about it.

"Juvia, would you like a glass of water? It was rather hot out on the field," Mirajane offered, as she stood up from her seat.

"A-Ah, sure. Thank you," the bluenette accepted.

The white-haired nurse filled up a paper cup with water from the small jug near the counter, and handed it to the bluenette, before making one for herself. Gratefully, Juvia took a sip of the cool liquid. It helped to raise the redness from her cheeks, and she felt a little better. It also woke her up, the coldness getting rid of some of the lingering drowsiness that weighed her eyelids down.

"It's been ten minutes now, which is more than enough time to ice," Mirajane said, "you can take the ice pack off if it's cold."

Juvia nodded and handed the young woman the frozen pack. She took it and put it in the sink. "Thank you."

"No problem, Juvia," she said cheerfully. "Does anything else hurt?"

Besides her pride.. "No, nothing. Juvia is fine."

"That's good," Mirajane replied. "There are about twenty minutes left of P.E., but you can rest here if you want. It must have been a strenuous day so far," she said with a smile. "Go ahead and lie down. Your friend is coming for you later, anyway," she nodded, and walked off to go and file some records, or do whatever teachers did in their free time. Juvia complied, laying her head down on the pillow.

And promptly snapped her head back up when someone lumbered through the door, nearly crashing into the counter.

"G-Gajeel-kun?" Juvia stuttered in surprise, seeing her old friend walk through the door of the nurse's office. Natsu Dragneel, the pink-haired athlete, was shakily supporting the larger male, whose ankle was swollen and bruised. The two were moving rather dangerously, swinging around like clumsy apes.

"Yo, Juvia," the dark haired male greeted. "Where's the nurse? I messed up my ankle 'cause of flame brains here."

"I didn't do anything!" Natsu exclaimed, "you're the one who had to challenge me to a twenty lap race!"

The two began to butt foreheads, which was rather funny considering Natsu was smaller and was holding Gajeel up. Rather counterproductive.

Juvia shyly strayed away, not comfortable speaking too much with her friend with Natsu in the room.

"Why're you in here?" Gajeel asked, Natsu nearly pushing him down on a seat.

"Juvia got hit in the head with a frisbee," she said, cheeks reddening from shame. As expected, Gajeel guffawed rather obnoxiously, nearly snorting. The bluenette covered her face and turned away, purposefully covering the little bruise on her forehead.

"That's such a Juvia-thing to do," he commented, brushing away a tear.

It wasn't_ that _funny.

"How do you two know each other?" Natsu asked, ever oblivious.

"We went to Phantom together," Gajeel informed the pink-haired male, with a scoff as he folded his legs over the chair. "She was the only one I could stand here, and we ended up transferring here together when Phantom got closed. Happy?"

Juvia bubbled a little inside, happy that Gajeel reciprocated her platonic feelings. It also made her glad that Gajeel didn't have bad things to say to her. To her face, anyway. "Gajeel-kun helped me out at Phantom. He's a nice person," she said, managing to keep her voice level.

"Oi, don't go making up lies about me, woman," Gajeel grunted, but the damage was done.

"Wahahaha!" Natsu laughed, sounding like some sort of animal. "Are you telling me that this huge guy full of piercings is like a big teddy bear? That's perfect! That's gold!" he continued to laugh loudly, until Gajeel reached over and smacked him over the head.

"Shut up, smoke-breath, unless you want me to tell everyone that you have a crush on the girl that watched you wet your pants as a kid."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Juvia watched the playful (could it really be called playful?) teasing between the two, and looked down. She was glad Gajeel fit in so well around Fairy Academy. Back in Phantom, he was popular as well, but for the wrong reasons. People tried to fight with him and talked behind his back, making him an infamous delinquent. He seemed a lot happier here than he ever was at Phantom.

"Juvia is glad you're doing well, Gajeel-kun."

Gajeel stopped pulling at Natsu's scarf to choke him and the pink-haired male released his hands that had previously been ripping at the tanned male's hair. ".. Thanks, woman," he said quietly. "You ever tell me if punks decide to mess with you, all right? I'll smash their faces in."

Juvia let a small smile grace her lips. "Thank you, Gajeel-kun."

Just as Gajeel was about to move back into his chair- both Mirajane and Levy came into the nurse's office at once. The white-haired woman entered from the back, looking surprised to see Gajeel and his swollen ankle, and Levy from the front, holding Lucy's borrowed uniform and a pair of shoes.

"Juvi, I brought your uniform," Levy said, putting it down on the bed.

"Thank you, Levy-san," Juvia said gratefully.

"My, my, Gajeel," Mirajane started, inspecting the teenager's ankle, "what happened here?"

"I was running and I twisted it really bad," he admitted. Natsu stifled a chuckle.

"Well, I'll go get some ice," she said. "Juvia, you can go and change in the bathroom. Be sure to let me know if your head starts to hurt again," she said.

"Thank you, Mirajane-san," Juvia said, and bowed a little. She took the uniform from the bed and went into the bathroom down the hall, closing the door quietly behind her. She turned on the light and took of her shirt- and then stared into the mirror.

The small bruise was a dark purple, standing out on her forehead. Juvia frowned, biting her lip- and adjusted her bangs in the bun just enough so they would cover the mark. Satisfied, she put on the white collared shirt, the blazer, and changed from her short pants to her skirt. After getting her socks on, she slipped into her shoes and took her clothes out, seeing Levy was waiting for her.

"Thanks for waiting," she said, nodding to her friend.

"No problem," Levy replied. She got up, and turned to Mirajane. "Bye, sensei."

"Goodbye, you two," she said, with a nod and a smile, as she wrapped Gajeel's ankle.

"Bye, Gajeel-kun," Juvia said shyly, with a nod. He grunted a little, but it was his form of greeting. The two walked out of the office, and Levy handed Juvia her bag. The bluenette put her P.E. uniform and shoes inside, and zipped it up.

"Luce and Erza are probably waiting for us at the cafeteria already," Levy said with a smile.

Juvia's heart dropped. The cafeteria.. Well, she'd brave it out for today. Her friends were always so kind and selfless towards her, so she could go to the cafeteria and do her best not to mess up in front of them. Yes, that was what she would do. "We should hurry then," she said.

Levy grinned, the two of them making their way back to the buildings. The cafeteria was on the other side of the campus, but it wasn't too far, just past the first floor of the main building. The two of them walked together, most of the other students already out eating. There was no hassle, since most of Juvia's antagonists had better things to do than torture the girl- like eat.

"Luce! Erza!" Levy exclaimed, jogging a little. Lucy and the redhead were waiting outside the cafeteria, in line. Juvia followed Levy over to their friends, who waved in recognition with smiles of their own. "Sorry we're a little late. P.E. was running kind of slow today."

Juvia reddened a little in embarrassment. "Hello, Lucy-san, Erza-san."

"You're so formal as always, Juvia," Lucy giggled a little, patting her friend on the head. "But that adds to your charm!"

Juvia's pale cheeks shaded a darker shade of pink, as she tried to hide her face. Ch-Charm? She had zero charm whatsoever. Erza only chuckled, and Levy teasingly elbowed her friend in the side, wiggling her eyebrows.

"J-Juvia is embarrassed," she managed to get out.

"How cute," Levy laughed, poking at her cheeks.

The line moved up a little, and they made their way into the cafeteria. The crowds of students were loud as usual, and each table had their little cliques- Lucy, who was captain of the cheerleading squad, saw some of her friends at the popular table, who giggled over the Fairy Four, who sat alone. Erza's fellow athletes were boisterous and noisy as usual. Levy's intellectual group managed to read among the noise while eating. Juvia felt uncomfortable as she hid behind her friends, not knowing anyone else out of this circle.

"I want a dessert today, but I had one yesterday," Lucy suddenly said, her chocolate brown eyes looking longingly over at the dessert line- which was full of ice cream, cakes, and parfaits. "I should really just stick to my salads.. But I want sweets," she groaned.

"But Lucy-san is already so skinny, why are you trying to diet?" Juvia asked timidly.

The blonde's cheeks turned a little pink, as she smiled. "That's sweet, Juvia.. But I'm trying to slim down just enough to keep my weight under one hundred and fifteen," she said, seeming a little embarrassed. "My catcher for cheer leading is pretty small, so I don't want to overwhelm him."

Erza frowned. "Just eat and then go running," she suggested.

"Not everyone has a furnace for a metabolism," Levy pointed out. "How do you never gain weight, no matter what you eat?"

"I train for three hours a day," the redhead pointed out. "It's only natural I burn off whatever calories I consume."

Juvia blanched a little. She had never paid much consideration to her weight, nor what she ate. Looking down at her thighs, she wondered if Lucy's skirt was just a little too tight around her legs.. She snapped to attention when the line began to move up again.

"I'm just going to get yogurt!" Lucy compromised with a nod.

"I'm going for the strawberry cake," Erza said shamelessly.

The blonde groaned, and Levy giggled a little. They were at the tables, food lined up. Juvia grabbed the usual sandwich and a bottle of water, waiting for Erza to get her cake and hot soup, Levy for her salad and ice cream, and Lucy for her yogurt and garden sandwich. Once they all got their food, Erza pointed over to a half-empty table. The other part was occupied by Sorano and her lackies, who giggled loudly at a tasteless joke.

Juvia paled, and gulped.

She went along with her friends, careful to follow them, and stay out of peoples' sight. It worked, and she sat down at the end of the table, unwrapping the cellophane off of her tuna sandwich, and opening her water. The other girls immediately began to dig into their food, Erza's eyes gleaming from her cake.

Her food was the same as always, the sweet salty taste of fish, and soft wheat bread. Once she had finished her sandwich, Juvia drank the rest of her water, careful to stay quiet in hopes of being ignored by Sorano and her friends. She didn't want any unnecessary trouble.

"Oh? Already done, Juvia?" Lucy asked, surprised to see the bluenette had finished eating.

"Uhm, yes," she replied quietly. Sorano still seemed to be caught up with bragging about going up a bra size. "Juvia ate fast."

"Do you want some yogurt?" Lucy asked, ever the kind soul.

Juvia shook her head. "Juvia is done eating. Thank you though, Lucy-san."

The blonde smiled and nodded her head. "Of course."

"Juvia," Erza said, looking up. She had just finished her cake. "I'm going to get another slice. Would you like to come with me?"

The bluenette blinked. She had nothing better top do, and it was a nicer option than waiting at the table until Sorano looked her way. "All right," she replied, and got up. Erza took the lead, weaving through the crowds and tables, and the bluenette shadowed her, as usual. She was about to turn the corner when her foot slammed into something- and Juvia tripped, nearly flying forward straight into someone's chest.

She was down for the count in seconds, and the entire cafeteria went quiet.

"S-Sorry! Juvia is so sorry!" The bluenette exclaimed. She had fallen on top of someone and brought them down completely, and was practically sitting on top of them. In a flash, she was up, cowering away from the person she had fell down on, her eyes squeezed shut.

"It's no problem," the other person replied. Male, definitely male. Juvia slowly opened one eye- and felt her shoulders sink.

The one person she had to bump into and make a complete fool out of herself in front of- Gray Fullbuster. The school's cherished Fairy Fourth, Gray Fullbuster, athlete, scholar, and socialite, Gray Fullbuster. Juvia's cheeks burned in absolute humiliation. Everyone was staring.

"Wow, there she goes again! What a screw-up!" Tobito's distinctive voice came.

And with that, the whole cafeteria was in hysterics.

Erza immediately came to Juvia's side, a hand on her shoulder comfortingly- as she death glared everyone laughing. Juvia tried to hide her face, shame curdling at the bottom of her stomach, as she felt tears well in her eyes. A loud, feminine voice rose over the crowd.

"Loxar, I knew you were desperate for human interaction, but I didn't know you were so starved for it you had to jump Gray," Sorano sneered, getting up from her seat. She held her soda in her perfectly manicured hands, her cold eyes narrowed.

Juvia reddened, and Erza gave her the death glare. By now, Lucy and Levy had ran forward to Juvia's side.

"J-Ju.. Juvia didn't.. She.." No matter what, the words could not form coherently. The bluenette choked, wishing she could find a hole to jump into and never come back out of. Sorano only sneered.

"Sure you didn't," she scoffed, snidely. "You probably stalk him. Are you some sick fangirl?"

"Stop it, it was an accident!" Lucy snapped at Sorano, who only narrowed hr eyes icily.

"Why don't you let her fight her own battles? All three of you are always babying her. It's pathetic, really," she snapped. Levy glared hard for someone so small, and Erza was about to say something, when Gray, of all people, cut in.

"Sorano, you don't have to be so harsh. It _was _an accident," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"Why are you defending her?" The white-haired girl asked, "she's nothing but a screw up! Even today, during P.E., she fumbled and ended up tripping over thin air, ruining the game for us. She's probably doing all of this on purpose just to make trouble!"

"J-Juvia is not!" The bluenette managed to get out. She was still holding the tears in. "It was an accident!"

Sorano glared immediately, squashing down whatever hopes Juvia had of escaping the argument with her intents clear. ".. You just want Gray all for yourself, don't you?" She asked, her voice surprisingly leveled. The cafeteria watched at the drama unfolding.

"W-What?" Juvia asked, shocked.

"You heard me," Sorano spat, "you're victimizing yourself, and throwing yourself all over Gray. It's pathetic and disgusting. He would never go out with someone like you, you freak."

The words were knives, cutting into the pale-skinned girl, who gulped. "I.. I don't.. Don't like.."

"Just stop it already. We all know the truth."

Juvia tried to find her voice, but even when she did, she had no courage to speak with it. Her eyes darted to the ground, unable to look anyone in the eye.

"Sorano, this is really unnecessary," Gray's uncomfortable voice came. "It was all an accident, and you're blowing things up."

"I'm just warning her to back off," Sorano replied, her voice sickeningly sweet. "So she doesn't get her feelings hurt. You'd never go out with a girl like her, would you, Gray?" She asked. Juvia watched Sorano's feet move over to Gray's, as she draped herself over the taller male.

"Sorano, I.."

"Answer the question."

It was all silent, until the dark-haired junior answered.

".. No, I wouldn't."

The entire cafeteria rose into an uproar of cruel laughter. Erza, Lucy, and Levy immediately ran forward to try and get to Juvia- but they stopped as Sorano sneered at them, something glistening in her eyes. "Oh look," she drawled, "poor little Juvia is turning red. Let me cool you down."

The soda was opened, and the fizzy drink was dumped down on the awaiting blue locks.

"Juvia!" Lucy and Erza cried, simultaneously, but the damage was already done. The bluenette had ran out, sopping wet twice on the same day, tears running down her face from the shame and humiliation. They chased their friend out of the cafeteria, but by the time they had gotten out, the blue-haired girl was no where to be seen.

"Juvi.." Levy mumbled in a mixture of anger, and sadness.

"Where'd she go?" Gray asked, running over to the entrance.

"You've done enough. Get out of here," Erza said, her eyes narrowed in pure rage.

"I didn't mean to hurt her feelings," the black-haired male defended himself. "I was just being honest!"

"Being honest and an ass are two different things," Levy snapped. Everyone was shocked to hear her cuss, but she only kept going. "Just stay away from Juvia if you know what's good for you. You make me sick!"

Gray reared back, as if he had been slapped- and hesitantly, backed away.

The three girls went off, in search of their friend, hurriedly checking around the buildings for her. They did not notice the blue mess in the very back of girls' locker rooms, crying her eyes out, hiccuping into a soda-soaked blazer.

_Juvia.. Juvia isn't pretty._

_Juvia isn't smart._

_Juvia isn't athletic._

_Juvia isn't graceful, or popular, or musical, or fashionable, or cool. _

_Juvia is a freak._

_But.._

The blue haired girl felt tears drip down her chin, as she rubbed furiously at them, and closed her eyes in agony.

_Juvia does not want to be like this anymore..._

* * *

Review. It gives me power.


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